The present invention is directed to an apparatus for closing openings of a hearing aid or ear adaptor for hearing aids.
German Gebrauchsmuster No. 19 51 165 discloses an in-the-ear hearing aid, wherein a cylindrical member can be placed on a sound exit nozzle. The interior of this member has a chamber-like expansion of a bore in which a layer of porous, sound-permeable material is arranged. The sound proceeding from the earphone of the hearing aid into the bore can, thus, easily pass the layer of porous material. Earwax, or cerumen, that is secreted inside of the auditory channel or canal, however, cannot proceed into the inside of the hearing aid in the reverse direction, due to this porous layer of material.
Over and above the disclosures of the above-mentioned German Gebrauchsmuster, German Gebrauchsmusters No. 84 36 783 and 85 04 765 both disclose perforated caps that can be attached to a sound exit nozzle, either directly in an in-the-ear hearing aid or in an ear adaptor of a behind-the-ear hearing aid, which adaptor can then be introduced into the ear, for example by being pluggable or screwable therein. The perforated caps guarantee unimpeded sound exit. Earwax that is secreted in the auditory channel or canal is largely kept out by the openings, since relatively long creeping distances are present due to the formation of niches therein.
The solutions presented in the above-mentioned prior art for preventing earwax from creeping in, however, still is relatively undesirable. At the very least, the protective devices must be replaced or cleaned relatively frequently. Another disadvantage in these proposed solutions is that there is no protection against the penetration of moisture, particularly perspiration which will occur in the interior of the auditory channel and move in the direction of the earphone. Keeping out perspiration or sweat is of particular significance, especially given the in-the-ear hearing aids, because the path from the sound exit location to the earphone is relatively short and, as experience has taught, the extremely aggressive or salty sweat will quickly damage the earphone. However, such a protection is also needed, given behind-the-ear hearing aids, since damage to the earphone occurs over and over despite the relatively long path to the earphone.